Keeping fit together at work

10 May, 2017

Whether people are jogging, cycling or playing basketball in the park, there is no denying that sports fever has taken hold. And here at MANN+HUMMEL’s Marklkofen location, we have well and truly caught the bug. Since September 2014, our employees have had the option to join an extensive range of sports groups – there really is something for everyone! With cageball, climbing, swimming and Nordic walking already on offer, it was time to add spin classes to our sporting programme. As a seasoned racing cyclist, I saw this as a chance to share my passion with my colleagues and so put myself forward to organise the group.

One sport – one team

We started off with ten of us heading to a nearby gym that has excellent equipment (Bayern Munich football team even trained on these spin bikes) and a well-qualified instructor. Once a week we pushed ourselves to our fitness limits (and sometimes even beyond) to a soundtrack of motivational music. Afterwards, we found some comfy seats and had a drink together or relieved the tension in our muscles in the sauna – see, sport can be fun!

Word soon got out about our spin classes and our little group has grown and grown to the point that there are now 49 of us on the bikes. What a success! Between October and March, the attendance list is always full and we have become a tight-knit group – both at spin and at work. As an outward expression of our team spirit, at the start of 2016 we put together a special spin uniform in yellow, green and white. Since then, wherever we go, people have been able to spot Team MANN+HUMMEL from a mile away, and it is clear to see that we are a strong group. However, people don’t come up to us all the time to ask about our outfits just because they make us stand out from the crowd. Very often people still don’t realise what wonderful things are going on right on their doorstep. This is how we knew what we had to do next…

Mission: public Event

We set our sights on the Arber Cycle Marathon, which features a range of distances through the picturesque Danube valley and up into the Arber mountains. The many different routes through this pretty countryside made this event suitable for people of all abilities, which was ideal for our group. Every member of Team MANN+HUMMEL could throw on their cycling gear and take part in the competition – regardless of their level.

In preparation, a small group of us began regular outdoor training sessions back in spring. Once a week, come rain or shine, we would go for a cycle straight after work so we could get used to covering longer distances. Even the members of our group who are not really racing cyclists put their all into their training, albeit on their own.

The end of July came round and it was time for the event! At the starting point in Regensburg, it was overcast but it was at least dry – perfect conditions for a cyclist. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not kind to us and by early morning, the rain had already started. But we didn’t let it bother us or spoil our fun! Standing out from the crowd in our eye-catching outfits, all 17 participants from Team MANN+HUMMEL made it to the finish line without any accidents or breakdowns. And our prize? A trophy for being one of the ten biggest groups to enter. Go teamwork!

Of course, this gave us all the motivation we needed and it’s almost time for our next event already. The Welt-Kult-Tour cycling event is being held in Regensburg in mid-September and we aim to be there in our MANN+HUMMEL kit to once again show the world what we can do! The routes take participants on a tour through the beautiful landscape and past several fantastic sights – the route even includes a Danube ferry crossing. Two weeks after that, we will take our sporting endeavours back inside and jump back onto our spin bikes whatever the weather to cycle our way through to next spring, when, with a bit of luck, we will all be fit and healthy.

As a general rule, I agree with German racing cyclist Gustav-Adolf Schur (born 1931) who said:
“People don’t move less because they grow old. They grow old because they move less.”

Let’s try and beat that – keep on moving!

Author

Oliver Fuchs

Oliver Fuchs has worked at MANN+HUMMEL in Marklkofen since 2000. Head of the Electrical Workshop, he does a lot of sport in his free time and you are most likely to find him on the football pitch or on his bike. The spin group has allowed him to make his passion for sport an important part of his everyday working life.